Kent Scheme Pay Award 2025

Kent County Council have agreed the Pay Award for 2025/2026.

We were not able to reach agreement with our recognised Trade Unions on the overall pay award, as part of the local pay bargaining process.

Kent Scheme Pay Award Information for Schools

KSA has increased to £12.71 per hour or £24,513 per annum, to reflect and continue to exceed both the rising National Living and Foundation (real) Living Wage. This represents a 5% increase to KSA.

The Kent Scheme pay bands have been increased at the top by 3%. Exceptions to this are KSA to KSD, which have been increased by a higher percentage to maintain our pay policy principles and to accommodate the increase at KSA.

The new grade bandings apply to Voluntary Controlled and Community Schools. Where a school does not follow the KCC pay award timeline - an appropriate pay policy needs to be in place. In any event, schools cannot pay beneath the new statutory minimum from 1 April 2025, as has been the case in previous years. Foundation and Voluntary Aided schools are not obliged to follow Kent Scheme Pay and Progression.

View the Kent Scheme Pay Scale for 2025-26 here (PDF, 14.9 KB)

Pay and Progression for Kent Scheme Terms and Conditions

As part of the KCC’s new pay strategy, all staff will transition to the new pay structure on 1^st April 2025.

However, KCC has decided there are some circumstances where the 2025/2026 pay award will be withheld on 1^st April for staff as follows:

• Those with a live disciplinary warning at 31^st March 2025, providing it hasn’t already impacted on the 2024/25 TCP rating
• Those in a formal performance (non-health related) process on 31^st March 2025.
• Those who have been in a formal performance process (non-health related) during 2024-2025 which concluded before 31^st March 2025, but have not shown sustained performance for at least 6 months after the formal process closed. Once 6 months of sustained performance has been achieved, your manager or Head Teacher will liase with their payroll to apply the pay award from this date (the pay award will not be backdated).

From April 2025 onwards, the updated pay and progression rules for schools apply.

The above is based on an April pay cycle so relevant dates will need to apply for a September pay cycle.

Performance Assessments

We recommend you discuss your performance assessment with your manager, to understand how you have performed and can reflect on the difference you have made. It also provides an opportunity to identify performance objectives, discuss what good performance looks like and what development, performance and wellbeing support you may need throughout the year.

Current School Allowances

The school allowances available to support staff have also been reviewed and increased.

Details of the new allowances can be found here (PDF, 79.2 KB)

Kent Scheme Newsletter for Schools

The Kent Scheme newsletter for schools from 1 April 2025 (PDF, 123.6 KB) is also available for you to view and download and includes useful information about The Local Government Pension Scheme rates and the huge variety of benefits available for Kent scheme employees working in Voluntary Controlled and Community Schools on the Kent Rewards platform.

If you have any questions about any of the details of the Kent scheme pay award, please contact you line manager or Head teacher. This communication has also been sent from the Corporate Director’s office to the Head Teacher’s/nominated persons in each Kent school.